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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27451618">The Pickpocket's Courtship</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WizardofOzymandias/pseuds/WizardofOzymandias'>WizardofOzymandias</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-typical snark, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Reluctant Companions to Friends to Girlfriends, Reverse Pickpocketing, Sarcasm, Sigrun is adorable and Velanna doesn't know how to handle it, Velanna POV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:22:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27451618</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WizardofOzymandias/pseuds/WizardofOzymandias</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Velanna has a rocky relationship with most of her companions after joining the Grey Wardens, but Sigrun is by far the most bearable. That is, until they get in a fight over Sigrun's pickpocketing. Velanna thinks she's scared the other woman off, until she starts finding the little gifts Sigrun is reverse pickpocketing into her bag. Eventually, this unconventional relationship becomes something more serious than Velanna could have anticipated.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sigrun/Velanna (Dragon Age)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>A Paragon of Their Kind Dragon Age Dwarf Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Pickpocket's Courtship</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/IllusiveSoul/gifts">IllusiveSoul</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Here’s your rock back,” came a cheerful voice from beside Velanna. </p><p>The elf woman glanced back to see Sigrun standing at her elbow, holding out the piece of greenstone the Warden Commander had found in Kal’Hirol. </p><p>Velanna snatched the stone out of Sigrun’s hand. “What were you doing with my things?” she demanded.</p><p>“Well. . .” Sigrun said with a smirk. “I sort of swiped it from your bag yesterday.”</p><p>“You went through my bag?”</p><p>“I just wanted to see the carving on it. Wait, are you mad?”</p><p>“Of course I am!” Velanna snapped. “You stole one of my private belongings.”</p><p>“It’s not that big of a deal, is it? I brought it back.”</p><p>“I guess I shouldn’t expect any better from a swindling pickpocket.”</p><p>Sigrun’s cheery expression faded. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was that important to you.” </p><p>“From now on, you should think twice before touching other people’s things.” Velanna stomped away. </p><p>Some days she questioned her decision to join Warden Commander Mahariel’s group. At the time, it had seemed like the best way to find Seranni. Her sister had been taken by the same Darkspawn the Warden Commander was hunting. If Velanna hadn’t joined with Mahariel, they would have wasted too much time tripping over one another, chasing the same goal. </p><p>But joining the Warden Commander had come with a host of other difficulties, namely, the rest of the Wardens. Two humans: a mage and a rogue, one a wanted apostate, the other a disgraced nobleman’s son. Two dwarves: one the half-pickled ex-husband of a paragon, the other a scrappy thief from the dwarven slums. And then there was the walking corpse, possessed by a spirit. </p><p>Out of all of them, the thief had proven the least annoying. Which was why Velanna felt so furious at Sigrun’s violation of her privacy. It proved what she instinctively knew: as soon as she let her guard down with anyone, she was baring her back for the knife. The men were easy enough to chase away. After a couple of tongue-lashings, they mostly left her alone, except to make her the butt of their jokes. Velanna didn’t take their insults quietly, though. She made it plain to the men what she thought of their jabs. The result was that she was left to herself most of the time.</p><p>Now Velanna realized she had been too lax when it came to Sigrun. The dwarf woman was usually so busy bickering with the men that she hadn’t given Velanna reason to drive her away. That had changed now. </p><p>Things were peaceful for a few days, until one too many of Oghren’s inappropriate remarks had been hurled Velanna’s way. Stalking off into the brush, Velanna looked for a spot out of earshot of the camp. She would much rather risk whatever was out in the dark than sit and listen to Oghren.</p><p>She turned when she heard the leaves behind her rustling. It was Sigrun. “Hi!” the dwarf woman said with a wave. “You doing okay out here?”</p><p>Velanna frowned. “I was looking for some peace and quiet.”</p><p>Sigrun nodded. “Oghren, right? Guy can be a real asshole. I guess he has his reasons, but he’s not easy to be around. It’s sad, really.”</p><p>“I’m surprised you’d be so quick to criticize one of your people.”</p><p>Sigrun laughed. “Dwarves can be jerks, just like anybody.”</p><p>Velanna couldn’t resist the urge to get in the jab: “I guess you’d say that. They didn’t seem to be very kind to you.”</p><p>Unexpectedly, her nastiness didn’t seem to faze Sigrun. “Yeah, I don’t let it bother me. I’ve got a great chance to make something of myself now. Their opinions don’t matter anymore.”</p><p>“What a naïve way to look at it. Their opinions left you living in poverty and made you a thief, didn’t they?”</p><p>Sigrun had stopped smiling. “Like I said, I try not to let it bother me. Once I joined the Legion, I was already dead. But I won’t break into your peace and quiet anymore.” Her smile was back, though it seemed fainter, and she waved again as she made her way back down to the fireside.</p><p>Velanna felt guilt rising in her. She’d never been so hateful before she left her clan. Everything was fine before the humans tried to drive them out of the Wending Wood. And then Keeper Ilshae’s insistence that the clan run away instead of standing their ground.  At the time, Velanna had been so sure she was right to break with her clan. Ilshae had sent her into exile, and Velanna had thrown her place in the clan away like it was nothing. But once they were out in the wilds, the handful of people who followed her started to turn on her. Some of them even talked of trying to beg the Keeper to take them back into the clan. And then the Darkspawn came. Velanna reminded herself that she had a good reason to push everyone away. That way no one else got hurt. </p><p>But Sigrun proved surprisingly hard to push.</p><p>“Do you want more stew?” Sigrun asked her the next night. “You didn’t eat much.”</p><p>“Why would I want more of this? It’s barely edible,” Velanna sniped. </p><p>Sigrun beamed at her. “Well, your stomach seems to want more. I heard it growling.”</p><p>Velanna was not amused. “It’s most likely complaining about Anders’ abominable cooking.”</p><p>“I can’t help it that your delicate palates are too refined for my rustic offerings,” Anders protested.</p><p>Sigrun snorted. “Maybe if you’d stop shooting fireballs into the cookpot to ‘speed things up,’ we wouldn’t have this problem.” </p><p>Anders placed a hand on his chest. “I can’t believe you’d accuse me of such a thing. It was only the one time! Besides, it’s my stew or Oghren’s slop, which seems to mostly be beard hair and ale.”</p><p>“I would never waste good ale like that!” Oghren insisted. “It’s the only thing that makes your stew taste edible, pretty boy.”</p><p>“I can’t help it that the templars never let me in the kitchens!” </p><p>Velanna rolled her eyes. “A likely excuse.”</p><p>“Don’t your people eat beetles, Velanna?” Anders asked.</p><p>“No. Only the hearts of those too foolish to stop asking idiotic questions. I’m going to my tent.” </p><p>At least it would be quiet there. Unfortunately, it was too dark to read in her tent, so Velanna climbed into her bedroll and tried to sleep. Her stomach grumbled loudly. Sigrun was right, she was still hungry.</p><p>A voice near the front of her tent startled Velanna out of her thoughts. </p><p>“Hey, Velanna, are you still awake?” the voice hissed.</p><p>“I am now,” she grumped. Whoever it was didn’t need to know she was lying awake, listening to her stomach growl.</p><p>“Oh, good, can I come in?” It sounded like Sigrun.</p><p>“To my tent? No! I suppose I can come out.” </p><p>Once she had climbed out of her tent, Velanna saw that it was, indeed, Sigrun waiting for her. “What do you want?” she asked.</p><p>“I wondered if you’d like some nug jerky. I have some in my pack.”</p><p>“How is that supposed to be more appealing than the stew?”</p><p>Sigrun grinned. “Have you ever had nug? It’s an Orzammar delicacy.”</p><p>Velanna grimaced, but her stomach chimed in again with an ill-timed roar. “I guess I could try some,” she said sulkily.</p><p>“Great! I’ll be right back!”</p><p>The jerky was surprisingly tasty, though that might have been because Velanna was so hungry. After devouring three strips of the stuff, Velanna took a searching look at Sigrun.</p><p>“Thank you for the jerky. I assume you’re still trying to make up for stealing my things.”</p><p>“Nah, I just wanted to be nice. You’ve been through a lot lately. You don’t deserve to go hungry on top of all that. And I never miss a chance to prove how tasty nug is. Anyway, good night!”</p><p>The next time Velanna opened her rucksack, she found a small pouch of nug jerky inside, with a note attached. <em> Emergency rations in case Anders tries to poison us all again—Sigrun. </em>Velanna was still a little uncomfortable with the thought of someone touching her bag, but once she had made sure everything was still where it belonged, she had to admit she felt a little flattered that Sigrun had thought of her.</p><p>“You were in my pack again,” Velanna observed to Sigrun later that day.</p><p>“Uh, yeah,” Sigrun said hesitantly. “I like to practice reverse pickpocketing sometimes.”</p><p>“You’re brave to try it again after what I said the last time. But I <em> am </em>grateful for the jerky. It will come in handy the next time Anders is assigned cooking duty.”</p><p>Sigrun seemed to take that conversation as encouragement to continue, because Velanna opened her pack three days later to find a carved wooden fennec inside. The figure was the size of Velanna’s palm, and it lay curled, as if asleep, its legs tucked under its body. There was no note, but she was sure Sigrun had struck again.</p><p>“Were you practicing again?” she asked, the next time she had the opportunity.</p><p>“Practicing. . . ?” Sigrun said.</p><p>“The fennec?” Velanna prompted.</p><p>“Oh! Yeah, I like to whittle little things sometimes. It’s good practice for manipulating knives.”</p><p>“I meant the pickpocketing.”</p><p>“That too.” Sigrun grinned at her.</p><p>“What made you think of a fennec?”</p><p>“I just think they’re cute.”</p><p>“They are. I spent weeks trying to lure one into my clan’s encampment when I was a child. I was desperate for a pet fennec.”</p><p>“Did you ever get one?”</p><p>“No. They were too clever for my clumsy attempts.” Velanna paused. “I don’t know why I told you that.”</p><p>Sigrun gave her a confused look. “It’s not a crime to talk about yourself.”</p><p>Velanna shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not as if my life holds interest for anyone. It only holds pain for me.”</p><p>“I’ll gladly listen to you talk about whatever you want,” Sigrun said. “By the way, did you give the fennec a name?”</p><p>“Of course not,” Velanna said, her defenses back in place.</p><p>Sigrun only laughed. “That sounds like a yes.”</p><p>“Do you know how to do anything other than pry into other people’s affairs?”</p><p>“I happen to also be good at killing Darkspawn and dismantling traps. And persuading people out of their secrets. So, if you didn’t already have a name for your fennec friend, I’m sure you’re thinking of one now. And I’m gonna find out what it is.”</p><p>Velanna growled, but Sigrun only waved and bounced across the camp. The sound of Sigrun arguing with Anders carried clearly across to Velanna’s tent. She climbed inside to sleep, a pillow over her ears to drown out the bickering.</p>
<hr/><p>Sigrun was away in Amaranthine with the Warden Commander for the next two days, and Velanna had to admit her absence was felt. Oghren thankfully spent most of his time in the wine cellar, but Velanna was unable to concentrate on the Dalish stories she had told Mahariel she planned to write. The empty pages of her journal glared reproachfully at her, and she eventually shoved it aside and went for a walk around the Keep.</p><p>She unfortunately ran into Nathaniel on the ramparts. He gave her a curious look. “What are you doing out here?” he asked. “You look worried.”</p><p>“I’m not worried!” she said, far too sharply.</p><p>“You don’t have to be so defensive about it, you know. Seems to me you’re missing the others.”</p><p>She guffawed. “It’s much more peaceful without Anders around. And Oghren has plenty of ale to occupy him. I only wanted some air, not to be pestered by nosy humans.”</p><p>“Uh-huh. And what’s that in your pocket?”</p><p>Velanna went red. She had slipped the wooden fennec into her pocket and had been nervously rubbing its smooth surface like a worry stone.</p><p>“I saw Sigrun carving a little fennec. She said it was a present.”</p><p>“What are you implying?”</p><p>Nathaniel threw up his hands defensively. “Nothing! But there’s nothing wrong with missing your friends. Especially one friend in particular.”</p><p>“You don’t know anything about me.” Velanna stormed off to her room and locked the door behind her. Her face still felt hot, but she knew it was from anger now. What presumption! She pulled the fennec out of her pocket and almost threw it across the room. But she faltered and looked down at the little wooden creature. She couldn’t bring herself to throw it away like that.</p><p>Velanna sank down on her bed, miserable. Nathaniel was right: she missed Sigrun. The Keep felt empty without her.</p><p>When the Warden Commander’s team returned that evening, Velanna tried her best not to seem obviously relieved. Sigrun made that easier by immediately returning to the subject of their last conversation.</p><p>“So, does your friend have a name yet?” she asked.</p><p>“I told you no the last time. Did you not take me at my word?”</p><p>“Of course not. Who could look at that cute little face and not think of a name?”</p><p>Velanna scowled. “Fine, then. Her name is Lindiranae.”</p><p>“I knew I’d find out. But you barely put up a fight about it. I was looking forward to pestering you about it for days. Not to mention that’s a terrible name for a little fennec.”</p><p>“It’s the name of the Hero of the Dales. The one the Chantry slaughtered in <em> Dirthavaren</em>.”</p><p>“Couldn’t you have named her something normal?”</p><p>“What would you suggest?”</p><p>“A food name, maybe. Or a flower name. Flowers make good names.”</p><p>“I can’t believe you prodded me into naming her and now you want to criticize my choice.”</p><p>“Only because a cute little animal shouldn’t have to live up to a tragic hero. How about Poppy?”</p><p>“I’m not calling her that. I already told you her name.”</p><p>“Poppy it is.”</p><p>Velanna shrugged. “Fine. If it makes you happier.”</p><p>Sigrun laughed.</p><p>The next morning, a tiny velvet pillow embroidered with poppies appeared in Velanna’s pack. It was just the right size for Poppy to sit on.</p><p>“I see you had already picked out the name you wanted for your creation,” she remarked to Sigrun at breakfast.</p><p>“Hmm?” Sigrun said, around a mouthful of porridge. “Oh, the cushion. Actually it was the inspiration for the name.”</p><p>Velanna paused thoughtfully. “Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked. “Everyone else is happy to keep me at a distance or try to make me a joke. Why don’t you?”</p><p>“Because you’re hurting. You lost your friends, and your sister, and you can’t go back to your clan. That’s a lot to deal with. The others are just scared of you, because you were hard to talk to at first. You were mad about everything, and I don’t blame you.”</p><p>“You don’t?” Velanna murmured.</p><p>“No, why would I?”</p><p>“Because everything that happened to me was my fault.”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“My friends. The ones who died. They never would’ve left the clan if I hadn’t led them away. Led them to their deaths. And Seranni—it’s my fault she was taken.”</p><p>Sigrun crossed her arms across her chest. “Look, you didn’t force anybody to follow you. I’m sure your friends made their own choice. And you definitely didn’t make a talking Darkspawn swoop in and grab your sister. So stop trying to blame yourself for things you don’t control.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Velanna said coldly. “I never should’ve said anything.” She left her breakfast behind and shut herself in her room.</p><p>A little while later, there was a knock at her door. Velanna rose from where she lay curled on her bed. Familiar rage stirred in her. She strode across the room and threw open the door.</p><p>“What do you want?” she demanded, not even taking time to see who was there.</p><p>It was Sigrun, who looked a little wounded. “Hey, I just came to check on you. You seemed upset.”</p><p>“You don’t need to worry about me.”</p><p>“But I still do. And—you think I don’t understand. Which, you’re right. Nobody really can. But I know about messing up other people’s lives. Because I did it, too. But you know what you did. It was a mistake. And one mistake—even a big one—doesn’t mean you never deserve to be cared about again.”</p><p>Velanna didn’t know what to say. There was an awkward pause before she asked, “Would you like to come in?”</p><p>Sigrun nodded.</p><p>Velanna offered Sigrun her desk chair, then seated herself back on her bed.</p><p>Hesitantly, Velanna said, “What did you mean when you said you had messed up someone’s life?”</p><p>Sigrun laughed a little. “Yeah, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it? But I did. There was a shopkeeper back in Orzammar. She took me in, pulled me out of the Dust, gave me an honest job. And then I went to work for the Carta. Everything was fine for a while, until they made me frame her for one of my robberies. They threatened to kill her if I didn’t. She still got exiled. Because of me. She was like my mom and I got her thrown out of Orzammar. She probably hates me now.”</p><p>Velanna was unsure how to respond to Sigrun’s revelation. Finally, she said, “What was her name?”</p><p>“Mischa. She was cruel to me, thought it would break me of my natural tendencies, since she assumed everybody in Dust Town is a dirty thief. But she didn’t deserve what I did to her.”</p><p>Velanna frowned. “Why did you not kill the people who threatened her?”</p><p>“Kill the whole Carta? Because that’s what it would’ve come down to. That’s the problem with organizations: they always have more guys to send after you.”</p><p>“I would’ve fought till my last breath and killed everyone who threatened me.”</p><p>“That’s a noble sentiment, but I wasn’t willing to risk her life. It’s all well and good to go down fighting on your own, but it doesn’t help if you drag the one you tried to save down with you. You know how that is.”</p><p>Velanna thought of her sister, now stolen away by the Architect. “Yes, I understand.”</p><p>There was another awkward silence between them, both unsure what to say next. It was thankfully interrupted by Anders pounding on the door, yelling, “It’s dinnertime! Better hurry or there won’t be any left!”</p><p>“We’ll be right out!” Velanna shouted back.</p><p>There was a pause. “We?” Anders said.</p><p>Velanna hid her face in her hands. “Godsdammit,” she swore.</p><p>“Whoops,” Sigrun said with a grin. “That’s sure to get them talking. I’m sure Anders will spread the word that I’m corrupting your virtue.” She stood and strode to where Velanna sat. “Would you accompany me to dinner?” She offered Velanna her arm.</p><p>“He’ll never shut up about this,” Velanna groaned.</p><p>Sigrun smirked. “Why not own it?”</p><p>“Own it?”</p><p>“Come on, just take my arm.”</p><p>They strode through the door to see Anders still lurking out in the hall.</p><p>Sigrun aimed a wink at him. Velanna only managed to keep her expression neutral. Somehow, it felt good to see Anders speechless.</p><p>Surprisingly, he remained speechless through dinner. Velanna had expected something to be said about her arriving to dinner on Sigrun’s arm, but no one commented on the development. As for her own feelings on the matter, Velanna was so far uncertain.</p>
<hr/><p>The next weeks left her very little time to consider the matter, as everyone was occupied with fortifying Vigil’s Keep and settling conflicts in Amaranthine. Velanna didn’t see much of Sigrun, but she was too busy to think about much besides the work at hand.</p><p>That was, until she found a small box tucked into her bag. When she opened it, she found a shining metal cylinder that puzzled her at first, until she saw the crystal bottle of ink beside it. She slid the cylinder apart and found it was just as she suspected: some sort of fancy metal pen. It would be an excellent replacement for her fragile, hand cut quills, but she couldn’t believe Sigrun had given her such an expensive gift.</p><p>It was a rare day that Sigrun was at the Keep, so Velanna sought her out. Eventually, she tracked Sigrun down in the training yard, where she was giving Nathaniel lessons on using daggers. Anders sat nearby, teasing Ser Pounce-a-Lot with a piece of string. The cat was certainly getting more exercise than the mage. </p><p>“Welcome to the training yard,” Anders said, as soon as Velanna came into view.</p><p>“You don’t seem to be training,” she retorted.</p><p>“Do you not see these fierce strikes from Ser Pounce-a-Lot? He’s becoming quite the warrior.”</p><p>“Maybe he can teach his master a few tricks.”</p><p>“You wound me, Velanna. I’ve already tired myself out before taking up the task of training Ser Pounce. But I’m sure you didn’t come here to see me, especially after your last interlude with our lovely Sigrun.”</p><p>There was a <em> clunk </em> sound and Velanna looked over to see that Sigrun’s last dagger throw had ended with the weapon’s pommel bouncing off the wall, missing the target entirely.</p><p>“Dammit, Anders, you made me miss!” Sigrun griped.</p><p>“And how did I manage that?”</p><p>“I heard the words ‘lovely Sigrun’ come out of your mouth and I snorted.”</p><p>“In that case, you’re not focused on your work. Nathaniel, you should find a better teacher. This one is clearly too distractible.”</p><p>Nathaniel shook his head. “I’m done for the day. I’d rather shoot projectiles than try to throw them.”</p><p>“Another time, then,” Sigrun said. She turned to Velanna. “Were you looking for me?”</p><p>“I was, but it was a personal matter.”</p><p>“Don’t mind me,” Anders said. “I’m just leaving, so you can feel free to discuss your <em> private affairs</em>.”</p><p>“Bye, then,” Sigrun said, making a shooing motion.</p><p>Once he was gone, Velanna said, “You left me another gift.”</p><p>“I did, yeah.”</p><p>“I can’t accept this one.”</p><p>Sigrun cocked an eyebrow at her. “Why not? What’s different about this one?”</p><p>Now that Velanna tried, she found it was very difficult to explain her feelings on the new pen. “It’s too expensive,” she finally said.</p><p>“Okay. And? The Warden Commander said you were writing stories of Dalish heroes with it. That’s the type of thing you don’t want to fill up with ink blots. The Shaperate developed pens like that for recording the Memories. Of course, they eventually record them on the walls with lyrium, but they start with ink. I thought their invention could help you record your own Memories.”</p><p>“But—”</p><p>“Listen, if there’s one thing dwarves take seriously, it’s keeping track of history. And I wanted to give you something actually useful for a change.”</p><p>“The other gifts were wonderful, too.”</p><p>“Did you think so? They were only silly things.”</p><p>“They meant a lot to me.”</p><p>“I’m glad.” A playful smile crossed Sigrun’s face. “So, have you forgiven me for taking your stuff?”</p><p>Velanna crossed her arms. “So, you were trying to earn your way out of that!”</p><p>“No, I—”</p><p>“What, then?”</p><p>“I like you, Velanna.”</p><p>“You do?”</p><p>“Yeah. I kind of thought it was obvious by now.”</p><p>“How was it supposed to be obvious?”</p><p>“Um, I didn’t give everybody a fennec.”</p><p>“But—” Velanna stood, stunned, unable to articulate anything else.</p><p>“Listen, you seem to need some time, so I’m going in to dinner. You want to come with me?”</p><p>Velanna shut her mouth, which seemed to have been hanging open of its own accord, and nodded. Sigrun took her by the hand and led her to the dining hall.</p><p>All through dinner, Velanna’s mind was racing. Sigrun had said she <em> liked </em> her. But did that mean she wanted to be friends, or. . . Velanna stopped that thought’s clear conclusion. <em> I didn’t give everybody a fennec </em>. Velanna thought of the day she paced the entirety of the courtyard and the ramparts, Poppy riding in her pocket. She thought of the disasters in her wake: Seranni, her followers, her own exile. How could she build a relationship after that? But Sigrun had her own failures, too.</p><p>Velanna looked at the woman by her side, cheerily chatting with the other Wardens. She felt a weight in her heart. Somehow, just as stealthily as Sigrun seemed to sneak gifts into her bag, she seemed to have stolen into Velanna’s affections.</p><p>Velanna went to sleep that night, feeling more at peace with herself than she had in ages. All she had to do was talk to Sigrun.</p>
<hr/><p>The next day brought it all crashing down. She woke to find Warden Mahariel, Sigrun, Anders, and Justice gone before dawn. News had come from Amaranthine that the Darkspawn were launching an attack. The Warden Commander had left orders for the others to defend Vigil’s Keep in case of an attack.</p><p>Dread coiled deep in Velanna’s gut. She was not afraid of combat. She had faced it time and again. But every time, it had come and left her standing, all of her friends fallen at her side. She hadn’t even had time to say goodbye to Sigrun.</p><p>It was a long and bloody battle, and Velanna found that she was grateful for all the grueling work of shoring up the Keep that had occupied the previous months. If it weren’t for all of the Wardens’ efforts, Velanna was certain the Keep would have fallen. But in the end, she and the others beat back the Darkspawn, and the Keep held. And yet there was no news from Amaranthine.</p><p>The city was miles away, but Velanna could see the fires against the darkening sky from the Keep’s walls: Amaranthine was burning. Her feet would not be still. She paced a path all around the ramparts, then realized that watching the fires was making her worry more. She went inside and offered her healing magic to help tend the wounded. Adrenaline blunted the edge of her worries for Sigrun, and time became a blur of blood and bone.</p><p>Torches were lit, burned down, and were replaced more than a dozen times before all of the wounded had been attended. Exhausted, Velanna went to the ramparts to get away from the smell of blood. The sun was just edging over the horizon, and it glinted off of something metallic in the distance. Velanna felt a stab of panic, thinking at first of more Darkspawn. Then she remembered that her Grey Warden senses hadn’t alerted her. As the figures got closer, she spotted the Wardens’ heraldry, and shouted, “Open the gates!”</p><p>She raced down to the courtyard.</p><p>Anders was holding up Ser Pounce-a-Lot, declaring him the victor of the battle for Amaranthine. Warden Mahariel was speaking to Captain Garavel. Velanna scanned the crowd for the others. Justice was near the forge. She pushed through the horde that seemed to have come crowding out of the Keep, desperate for news from the city.</p><p>Panic filled Velanna as she realized she didn’t see Sigrun anywhere. She froze, feeling again the same shock of loss as she had when she learned what happened to Seranni. There was a tap on her shoulder.</p><p>Velanna turned.</p><p>“Did you miss me?” Sigrun said.</p><p>Velanna almost screamed with relief. “I thought you were dead!” she yelled.</p><p>Sigrun grinned. “I was dead when I joined the Legion, silly. They had a funeral for me and everything.”</p><p>“Don’t joke with me right now.”</p><p>Sigrun held out her hands defensively. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I can see you’re pretty mad.”</p><p>“I was afraid you weren’t coming back.”</p><p>“But I did come back.”</p><p>“I thought I would never get to tell you. . .”</p><p>“Tell me what?”</p><p>“That I—I like you, too. I might even love you.”</p><p>Sigrun’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh! So I say I <em> like </em>you, but you get the big confession? Spoilsport. Guess I should’ve just gone for it.”</p><p>Velanna stood there, dazed. “Then—that’s okay?”</p><p>“Of course it’s okay! It’s not like I didn’t spend the last twelve hours in misery, wishing I had gone ahead and told you that I loved you, just in case anything happened.”</p><p>Velanna felt like her heart had jumped out of her chest. But she also had no idea what would come next, now that her feelings were out in the open. Finally, she said, “So, what should we do now?”</p><p>“Well,” Sigrun said. “I would like to kiss you. But considering that we’re both covered in Darkspawn muck and blood, some washing up should probably come first.”</p><p>Velanna smiled. It was the first time a smile had felt natural in over a year. “After what we’ve been through, I can ignore a little blood.”</p><p>Sigrun shrugged. “Well, if you’re sure.”</p><p>Kissing while wearing full armor was not an easy accomplishment, but they made do. Afterward, there were plenty of other kisses in more comfortable clothing and less desperate circumstances. But Velanna would never forget that first kiss, in the early hours of dawn after an exhausting night’s vigil, covered in the muck of battle. For the first time in ages, she felt happy and, more importantly, safe.</p>
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